Department for Transport

Elizabeth Line: Iron and Steel

Holly Mumby-Croft: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the provenance was of the steel used by Crossrail Ltd in the construction of the Elizabeth Line.

Trudy Harrison: The 57km of steel required for the rails of the Elizabeth line central section, between Paddington and Abbey Wood, was sourced entirely from British Steel in Scunthorpe. This equates to 7,000 tonnes of steel.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Jewellery: Hallmarking

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has made an assessment of the impact of the EU's decision to not recognise British hallmarking on (a) smiths and (b) jewellers.

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues and with his EU counterparts on the EU's decision on British metal hallmarking.

Paul Scully: The Department continues to work with the British Hallmarking Council, the jewellery trade, and the International Hallmarking Convention to ensure that UK-hallmarked items can be sold internationally without facing technical barriers to trade.

Insolvency Service: Cambridge

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what equality impact assessment the Government has carried out for the closure of the Insolvency Service office in Cambridge; and whether a copy of its findings can be placed in the House of Commons Library.

Paul Scully: An overarching Equality Impact Assessment has been completed for all offices, including Cambridge, affected by the plan to restructure the Insolvency Service’s estate to eleven regional offices. A copy of this document will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Insolvency Service: Cambridge

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the planned closure of the Insolvency Service office in Cambridge, where interviews previously conducted by that office will be relocated to once that site closes.

Paul Scully: Following the closure of the Cambridge Office in December 2023, interviews will be held in either a local interview facility or at one of the Insolvency Service 11 Regional Centres.Alternatively, interviews will be conducted remotely using telephone and online channels, this is already established practice where it works for the individual and the Service.

Insolvency Service: Cambridge

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the local Chambers of Commerce or Federation of Small Businesses were consulted on the decision to close the Insolvency Service office in Cambridge.

Paul Scully: The Insolvency Service engaged with a number of personal and business debt advice organisations over proposals to restructure its estate for improved efficiencies. It issued a news story on GOV.UK and a social media post to advise all stakeholders of the proposals.

Warm Home Discount Scheme: Solihull

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if his Department will publish the data it holds on the number of households in the Solihull Constituency that received the Warm Homes Discount scheme in 2021.

Greg Hands: Energy suppliers are responsible for providing rebates to eligible households and are only required to report on the number of rebates provided in England, Scotland and Wales. The Government does not hold data on the number of rebate recipients by constituency.

District Heating: Regulation

Simon Jupp: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government plans to introduce legislative proposals regulating the heat networks sector.

Greg Hands: The Queen’s Speech on 10th May confirmed that the Government has now committed to legislating to regulate the heat networks market in this parliamentary session as part of the Energy Security Bill. In December 2021, the Government announced that Ofgem will take on the role of heat networks regulator.

Natural Gas: Housing

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has plans to cap the cost charged to residents who wish to remove the gas supply from their residential property.

Greg Hands: The Government regularly engages with energy suppliers and Meter Asset Providers to understand the costs incurred by suppliers associated with meter provision, rental and removal. Suppliers are responsible for removing a gas meter and capping the incoming gas supply when this is requested by the customer, and may choose to charge for providing this service. The costs suppliers incur from a Meter Asset Provider for removing a gas meter will differ according to their individual contractual arrangements. Customers are normally required to pay a separate charge to their gas distribution company to disconnect their gas supply from the network.

Nuclear Reactors

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government is taking to (a) identify and (b) allocate sites for new small modular reactors.

Greg Hands: The Government recognises that there are areas across the UK with experience hosting nuclear developments and appreciates the potential benefits that these locations could offer to new nuclear projects. The Government is developing a siting strategy, and a new National Policy Statement for nuclear electricity generation infrastructure deployable after 2025. The Government will consult on the strategy in due course. The Government remains open to considering development proposals for projects at sites which stakeholders consider suitable, including existing nuclear sites. Any future project would be subject to planning and development consents.

Nuclear Reactors: Northern Ireland

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment the Government has made of the potential merits of deploying small modular reactors in Northern Ireland.

Greg Hands: As outlined in the British Energy Security Strategy, the Government’s long-term ambition is to increase plans for the deployment of civil nuclear power by 2050. In order to facilitate this, the Government has committed to a number of nuclear ambitions, including developing an overall siting strategy for the long term.

Nuclear Power

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of nuclear power’s contribution to energy security in the UK.

Greg Hands: The Government believes that the UK needs a diverse mix of electricity infrastructure to come forward in order to deliver a secure, reliable, affordable, and net zero consistent system in 2050. The Energy Security Strategy seeks to ensure that the UK is one of the best places in the world to invest in nuclear and sets an ambition for deployment of civil nuclear of up to 24 GW by 2050, around 25% of our projected electricity demand.

Energy Company Obligation

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to publish details of ECO4; when he plans for that scheme to be operational; and what steps he is taking to ensure there will be continuity with ECO3.

Greg Hands: The response to the ECO4 consultation was published on 1 April 2022: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/design-of-the-energy-company-obligation-eco4-2022-2026 A 3-month interim delivery phase has been introduced between 1 April – 30 June 2022, under the previous (ECO3) scheme rules, to enable delivery to continue subject to some fossil fuel heating limitations. Obligated suppliers may also choose to deliver under the new scheme rules during this period. BEIS and the scheme administrator, Ofgem, meet and communicate regularly with obligated suppliers to provide further clarity on the scheme rules. The Government is planning to lay regulations as soon as possible, to provide the market with legislative certainty.

Energy: Housing

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what further steps he is taking to improve the energy efficiency of domestic buildings.

Greg Hands: The UK has made good progress in improving energy performance of homes.  46% of homes in England are now EPC Band C or above, up from 12% in 2009. Furthermore, Government is investing over £6.6 billion over this parliament to continue improving energy efficiency. This funding will help to deliver upgrades through the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, Energy Company Obligation, Local Authority Delivery and Home Upgrade Grant Schemes. The new £450 million Boiler Upgrade Scheme will provide upfront grants towards the cost of a heat pump or biomass boiler. The Government is also Zero-rating VAT for the next five years on the installation of insulation and low-carbon heating.

Ofgem: Carbon Emissions

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will take steps to reform Ofgem’s statutory duty to include oversight of meeting net-zero commitments.

Greg Hands: It is the Government’s plan to publish the Strategy and Policy Statement (SPS) later this year. The SPS will detail the Government’s strategic priorities and policy outcomes for energy policy, including delivering a net zero energy system while ensuring secure supplies at the lowest cost for consumers. The SPS will impose a legal obligation on Ofgem to have regard to those strategic priorities and policy outcomes when exercising its regulatory functions. Ofgem will be required to report at the outset and annually on its progress and plans for implementation.

Housing: Repairs and Maintenance

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the process on retrofitting homes; and if he will take steps to speed up that process.

Greg Hands: The Government has committed to spend £6.6billion across this Parliament to decarbonise buildings. This funding supports energy efficiency improvements through the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, the Local Authority Delivery Scheme and the Home Upgrade Grant. Through the Energy Company Obligation, the Government has also set a target for larger energy suppliers to deliver energy efficiency savings by 2026. For those not eligible for Government support, the green finance offer will be improved. The Government is also investing in training. In 2021, the £6 million BEIS Skills Training Competition resulted in 7,000 opportunities to learn retrofit skills and will be developing plans for a 2022/23 competition.

Shipbuilding Credit Guarantee Scheme

Cherilyn Mackrory: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what progress his Department has made on the implementation of the Home Shipbuilding Credit Guarantee Scheme.

Lee Rowley: Following intensive development work and stakeholder engagement over the past few months, the Department is now finalising the scheme design, and subject to final business case approvals we intend to launch the scheme soon.

Department of Health and Social Care

Smoking: Reviews

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many full time equivalent staff from his Department worked on the Independent review of Smokefree 2030 policies.

Maggie Throup: The Department assigned one full-time equivalent Grade 7 to the Review. Other Departmental staff have also supported the Review with policy, evidence and analytical expertise.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government accepts that some people have died as a direct result of having received a covid-19 vaccination; and if he will make a statement.

Maggie Throup: All vaccines deployed in the United Kingdom have been authorised through a rigorous and expert review process by the independent regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority (MHRA). The MHRA continues to monitor the safety and effectiveness of authorised COVID-19 vaccines, including reviewing all suspected Adverse Drug Reaction reports relating to COVID-19 vaccines where the patient died shortly after vaccination. The MHRA publishes a weekly report covering adverse reactions to approved COVID-19 vaccines which is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-vaccine-adverse-reactions These reports summarise the outcome of a number of detailed safety assessments and provide the appropriate context. Vaccines remain the most effective way to protect people from COVID-19 and have saved tens of thousands of lives.

Research: Finance

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the application process is for research funding from the National institute for Health and Care research and UKRI.

Maria Caulfield: There is no single application route for funding from the National Institute for Health and Care Research and UK Research and Innovation. Application routes are specific to the relevant research funding call and may vary. The most common approach is the submission of an application to an open research call with all remits, funding criteria and application advertised publicly. Once submitted, these applications are subject to independent peer review.

Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust and Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust: Surgery

Elliot Colburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the extent of backlogs in elective surgery at (a) the Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust and (b) the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust.

Edward Argar: As of March 2022, there were 44,286 patients waiting for elective treatment at the Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, of which 193 waited over 52 weeks and two waited more than 104 weeks. In March 2022, there were 1,502 patients waiting for elective treatment at the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, of which six waited over 52 weeks. No patients waited more than 104 weeks.The Department is investing more than £8 billion over the next three years to increase elective activity and reduce waiting lists. This is in addition to the £2 billion Elective Recovery Fund and £700 million Targeted Investment Fund already made available to systems in 2021/22. This funding could deliver the equivalent of approximately nine million further checks, scans and procedures and aims to deliver 30% more elective activity by 2024/25 compared to pre-pandemic levels.

Hospitals: Sutton

Elliot Colburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his revised timetable is for the delivery of the new specialist emergency care hospital in Sutton.

Edward Argar: The new hospitals programme is working with Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust on a plan and timetable for a new specialist emergency care hospital in Sutton.

North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust: Standards

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has had made on the adequacy of North-West Ambulance Service ambulance response times.

Edward Argar: No recent assessment has been made. In 2022/23, NHS England and NHS Improvement have allocated £150 million to address pressures on the ambulance service, including supporting improvements to response times through additional call handler recruitment and retention. NHS England and NHS Improvement have also tendered a £30 million contract for auxiliary ambulance services to provide national surge capacity as needed and support ambulance response times during periods of increased demand.NHS England’s National Ambulance Coordination Centre provides central monitoring of and support for ambulance trusts to improve patient handovers at hospitals, preventing further delays in response times.

Cystic Fibrosis: Mental Health Services

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of (a) children and (b) adults with cystic fibrosis in England saw a clinical psychologist at their annual review, in each year since 2015.

Gillian Keegan: This information is not held in the format requested. However, the following table shows quarterly data on the proportion of children with cystic fibrosis in England who saw a clinical psychologist within the 12 months prior to their latest annual review. Data is not held prior to 2019 and information for Quarter 4 in 2021/22 is not yet available. 2019/202020/212021/22Quarter 178.6%48.7%63.8%Quarter 257.3%37.3%44.2%Quarter 366.1%50.0%58.2%Quarter 458.6%55.8%- The following table shows quarterly data on the proportion of adults with cystic fibrosis in England who saw a clinical psychologist within the 12 months prior to their latest annual review. Data is not held prior to 2019 and information for Quarter 4 in 2021/22 is not yet available. 2019/202020/212021/22Quarter 182.2%20.4%33.3%Quarter 272.6%66.8%25.4%Quarter 380.2%59.6%38.5%Quarter 465.3%54.6%-

Brain: Injuries

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people in the UK have been diagnosed with permanent brain damage.

Gillian Keegan: This information is not collected in the format requested. However, the following table shows a count of finished admission episodes with a primary or secondary diagnosis of brain damage in each of the last four years. The information for 2021/22 is not yet available.YearAdmissions with primary diagnosisAdmissions with primary or secondary diagnosis2017/182,97311,8042018/193,05212,6982019/203,02412,9062020/212,52910,463 Source: NHS DigitalNotes:The data represents activity in English National Health Service hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector.A finished admission episode (FAE) is the first period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. This data shows FAEs which have been counted against the month and year in which the episode was completed. Admissions do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the period.The data includes the following diagnosis codes:G93.1 Anoxic brain damage, not elsewhere classifiedG93.9 Disorder of brain, unspecifiedP11.2 Unspecified brain damage due to birth injury

Dementia: Diagnosis

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the barriers to timely dementia diagnosis; what estimate he has made of the size of the backlog in dementia diagnosis through Memory Assessment Services; what steps he is taking to reduce that backlog; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Keegan: In April 2022, the dementia diagnosis rate was 61.8%. The pandemic has affected the provision of memory assessment services and the number of general practitioner (GP) referrals to those services. No specific estimate of the backlog has been made. However, since March 2020 there has been a 5.6% reduction in the number of people over the age of 65 years old on the dementia register, which records a dementia diagnosis. In 2021/22, we allocated £17 million to address waiting times and increase the number of diagnoses. In 2022/23, NHS England will provide funding to support GPs in some areas in England to pilot approaches to increase the diagnosis rate and provide access to post-diagnosis support. We will set out plans for dementia in England for the next 10 years later this year, which will include a focus on diagnosis.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Research

Virginia Crosbie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will increase funding for research into myalgic encephalomyelitis; and what steps he is taking to meet the additional needs of people living with myalgic encephalomyelitis and other similar chronic conditions.

Gillian Keegan: The Department has asked the UK Clinical Research Collaboration to convene a subgroup on myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) with a range of stakeholders, including research funders, to ensure high quality applications for research into ME/CFS and support the research community to build capacity and capability.On 12 May 2022, we announced the intention to develop a cross-Government Delivery Plan for ME/CFS in England. The delivery plan will build on the recommendations of the ME/CFS Priority Setting Partnership and the recently updated guideline from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to ensure that people living with ME/CFS have the appropriate support.NHS England and NHS Improvement are establishing a task and finish group to produce guidance on the provision of high-quality services for people living with long term pain by September 2022. The guidance is aimed at integrated care systems to provide core principles which can be used to inform the development of local models of care to support people living with chronic pain.

Disease Control

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 17 May 2022 to Question 1082, on Disease Control, if he will provide details of the formal public hearings which will be held in the UK.

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 17 May 2022 to Question 1082, on Disease Control, if he will list (a) all those who are deemed to be relevant stakeholders and (b) the methods by which engagement with them (i) has been carried out and (ii) will be carried out in the future.

Gillian Keegan: There are no formal public hearings planned in the United Kingdom. The UK is engaging with a range of stakeholders during the development of the instrument. An effective instrument for pandemic prevention and preparedness will require a whole-of-society approach and non-state actors are vital to ensure countries are protected from health threats. As such, we continue to engage with stakeholders from civil society and others.

World Health Assembly

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, who will be the UK delegates attending the 75th World Health Assembly; what are their qualifications; what were the criteria governing their selection; and to whom they will be reporting their deliberations.

Gillian Keegan: The Department’s delegation is led by my Rt hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, supported by the Chief Medical Officer for England.The delegation also consists of the Department’s Director for International, Deputy Director for Multilateral, the UK Health Security Agency’s (UKHSA) Director of Global Operations and the UKHSA’s Consultant in Global Health and Senior Medical Advisor, as senior officials overseeing the United Kingdom’s global and public health policy. All delegates will report to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care as the Head of Delegation.

Dementia: Diagnosis

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help promote innovation in dementia diagnosis.

Gillian Keegan: For many, assessments and diagnoses begin in memory clinics which provide access to a multi-disciplinary team. In 2021, NHS England commissioned resources to support memory services to improve and innovate. These resources include an e-learning course developed by University College London to support memory services to manage a change in practice, ensuring the delivery of a personalised assessment and diagnosis via a blended service model. Leeds Beckett University has also developed a guide to supporting continuous development, improvement and innovation in memory services. These resources where circulated to services and stakeholders in March 2022. In 2022/23, NHS England will provide funding to support general practitioners in specific areas to pilot approaches to diagnosing dementia for people living with advanced dementia in a care home setting. We will set out plans for dementia in England for the next 10 years later this year, which will include a focus on dementia diagnosis.

Disability Aids: Children

Ed Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 16 March 2022 to Question 137964, if he will publish the joint letter sent on 15 December 2021 to all local safeguarding partners and local authority CEOs from Ministers in the Department for Education, Department for Health and Social Security and the Home Office.

Gillian Keegan: A copy of the letter is attached.Letter (pdf, 363.9KB)

Department for Education

Free School Meals: Finance

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of ring-fencing the Universal Free School Meals allowance for catering use only.

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the potential challenges facing the food supply industry in respect of the supply of free school meals; and whether he plans to take steps to re-evaluate funding allocated by his Department to those meals.

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will ask schools to (a) keep a record of the average meals service and (b) submit a return to his Department each school term to help reduce the cost of the Universal Free School Meals overall.

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for his policies of recent reports that school meal suppliers are reducing portion sizes or reducing quality of ingredients to continue to supply Universal Free School Meals with the current funding.

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if his Department will increase the allowance for Universal Free School Meals in line with rising inflation.

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the Government's 1.7 per cent increase in funding for Universal Free School Meals on suppliers of those meals who are facing a 9 per cent increase in food prices.

Will Quince: The provision of free school meals (FSM) to children who are eligible for them is of the utmost importance to this government. We recognise the cost pressures that some schools and suppliers may be facing, and as usual are holding regular meetings with other government departments and with food industry representatives, covering a variety of issues including public sector food supplies.The department spends around £600 million per year ensuring around 1.3 million infants enjoy a free, healthy and nutritious meal at lunchtime following the introduction of the universal infant free school meal (UIFSM) policy in 2014. The per meal rate was increased to £2.34 per child in the 2020/21 financial year. The funding rate for the 2022/23 financial year will be published with the funding allocations in June.Under the benefits-related criteria, the department provides a free healthy meal to around 1.7 million children, ensuring they are well-nourished and can concentrate, learn and achieve in the classroom. Schools fund benefit-related FSM from their core funding which they receive through the schools block of the dedicated schools grant (DSG) and is derived from the national funding formula (NFF). For the 2022/23 financial year, the funding schools attract through the ‘FSM factor’ in the NFF is increasing to £470 per eligible pupil.In recognition of cost pressures, after the NFF rates were set, the department received additional funding from HM Treasury for core schools funding in the 2022/23 financial year, which we distributed through a schools supplementary grant. As a result of this additional funding, core schools funding for mainstream schools is increasing by £2.5 billion in the 2022/23 financial year, compared to last year. We have also given schools the autonomy to agree individual contracts with school food suppliers and caterers, using their increased core funding.UIFSM is funded via a direct grant to schools. The allocations are calculated using data recorded in the termly school census. This includes the number of meals taken on the census day, as well as the number of FSM-eligible children. We are mindful of the reporting burden on schools and feel that recording school meals taken through the school census is a proportionate and appropriate method of recording this data, whilst having controls in place to provide assurance that the data is accurate and reliable for funding purposes.Head teachers and senior leaders are best placed to determine the use of their school’s budget, including how much to spend on school food provision. Subject to meeting their statutory duty to provide a free meal that meets the school food standards to all infants who are not otherwise eligible for benefits-related FSM children, schools may spend the grant for the purposes of the school or for a charitable purpose for the benefit of the pupils. This is set out in the conditions of grant: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-infant-free-school-meals-uifsm-2021-to-2022/universal-infant-free-school-meals-uifsm-conditions-of-grant-2021-to-2022.Compliance with the school food standards is mandatory for all maintained schools including academies and free schools. It is for schools and caterers to decide what is an appropriate portion and to balance the food served across the school week. The guidance to accompany the school food standards includes guidance on portion sizes and food groups and is available on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-food-standards-resources-for-schools.If a parent or guardian is concerned about the quality of school lunches, they should in the first instance contact the headteacher or consider using the school’s complaints policy.

Care Leavers

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government plans to take to improve outcomes for care experienced young people.

Will Quince: Every local authority in England must appoint a Virtual School Head who has a statutory duty to promote the educational attainment of all children in their care. Looked-after children have priority in school admissions and attract Pupil Premium Plus funding of £2,410 per child, up to age 16. This is managed by the Virtual School Head, who works with the child’s school to deliver objectives in the child’s Personal Education Plan.In October 2021, the department launched a £3 million pilot in 30 local authorities to extend Pupil Premium Plus funding to looked-after children and care leavers in post-16 education. This initially ran until March 2022, and we are committed to continuing the pilot to support looked-after children and care leavers in further education.Care leavers also receive financial support to help them engage in education, employment or training, including bursaries of £1,000 to undertake an apprenticeship and £2,000 to go to university, and they are also a priority group for the 16-19 further education bursary.The department has launched the care leaver covenant, which supports care leavers into employment, and established the Civil Service care leaver internship scheme, which has seen over 700 young people being offered 12 month paid internships across government.

Children: Social Services

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment the Government has made of the potential merits of refocusing the care system on early intervention as recommended by the independent review of children's social care.

Will Quince: The department recognises how important early help and intervention is to transforming children’s lives. In April we announced a £1 billion package to support vulnerable families, including funding for Family Hubs, investment in the Holiday, Activity and Food programme, and funding so that the Supporting Families programme can work with up to 300,000 more families.The department will closely consider the recommendations from the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care’s final report and will set out an implementation strategy by the end of the year, which also takes into account the National Panel Review into the tragic deaths of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes and Star Hobson, and the Competition and Markets Authority’s study into children’s social care placements.

Children: Social Services

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of Sefton Council's Children's Social Care department.

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment his Department has made of the capability of Sefton Council's political leadership to run an effective Children's Social Care department.

Will Quince: Keeping children safe is vital, and the government takes tough measures when councils are failing them. A Statutory Direction was issued to Sefton Council on 24 May 2022, following the 9 May 2022 Ofsted report that judged children’s services to be inadequate. The direction requires the Council to work with a commissioner appointed by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, who will issue any necessary instructions to the local authority for the purpose of securing immediate improvement. In addition, the commissioner will conduct a three-month assessment of the Council’s capacity and capability to improve itself. This report will help determine the best next steps to ensure improvements are made for vulnerable children and families.

Pupils: Coronavirus

Andy Carter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that pre-reception and post-reception children can recover their ability to speak and understand language during the covid-19 recovery.

Will Quince: In total, the department has announced almost £5 billion for an ambitious, multi-year education recovery plan to support young people to catch up on missed learning.As part of education recovery, the department is investing up to £180 million of recovery support in the early years sector. Strengthening understanding of speech and language development is an important part of this support.The recovery includes investing in continuous professional development for early years practitioners, through the national expansion of the early years Professional Development Programme, which has a focus on upskilling practitioners to support the early development of literacy and language and early mathematics, alongside personal, social, and emotional development. The department is also investing over £24 million for local authorities to select and train early years practitioners in the best programmes to support parents with the home learning environment. This aims to improve children’s early language and social and emotional development, giving priority to families that will benefit the most.Additionally, the department is investing £17 million for the Nuffield Early Language Intervention (NELI), which is a proven programme aimed at the reception aged children needing extra support with their speech and language development. We are also increasing the number of qualified special educational needs coordinators in early years settings.The Recovery Premium, providing £1.3 billion for the 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2023/24 academic years, is additional funding to help schools deliver evidence-based approaches to support education recovery. Recovery Premium eligibility builds on that of the pupil premium. However, school leaders have flexibility to use the funding to support any pupil where a need is identified, including those with speech and language difficulties. Schools can use their funding to assess and address immediate needs, such as those relating to speech and language difficulties, as well as longer-term strategic improvements, such as boosting the quality of oracy teaching.The Parent Pledge in the Schools White Paper will also make the department’s vision clear that any child who falls behind in English or mathematics will receive the right evidence-based targeted support to get them back on track.

Children: Social Services

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how membership of the Care Review Implementation Board of experts will be decided.

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people will sit on the Care Review Implementation Board of experts.

Will Quince: The National Implementation Board will include people with experience of leading transformational change and those with their own experience of the care system. We will set out more details about the board in due course.

Children: Day Care

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if his Department will undertake urgent reforms to the childcare sector, including allocating adequate funding to ensure that staff are sufficiently well paid to provide high-quality, affordable childcare.

Will Quince: The department continues to look at ways to improve the cost, choice and availability of high-quality childcare and early education, in order to support parents and provide children with the best start in life.The department has spent over £3.5 billion in each of the past three years on early education entitlements, and we are investing additional funding for those entitlements worth £160 million in the 2022/23 financial year, £180 million in the 2023/24 financial year and £170 million in the 2024/25 financial year, compared to the 2021/22 financial year. This is for local authorities to increase hourly rates paid to childcare providers and reflects cost pressures and changes in the number of eligible children anticipated at the time of the Spending Review.With safety and quality at the heart, as a first step, the department will consult on ratio requirements to give childcare providers more flexibility and autonomy to make decisions about their settings and needs of their children.The department recognises the huge contribution the early years workforce makes to giving every child the best start in life. Supporting this workforce continues to be a priority and we are in regular contact with local authorities and sector bodies to understand the pressures on childcare providers, including any issues related to recruitment and retention.We are continuing to work proactively with the sector to build our understanding of the situation and how the department might support childcare providers in this area.

Special Educational Needs: Sutton

Elliot Colburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what his revised timetable is for the delivery of a special educational needs school at the Rose Hill site in Sutton.

Will Quince: The forecast opening date for the special educational needs school in Rosehill, Sutton, is September 2024, subject to planning approval. The academy trust and local authority are aware that the department is working towards this date.

Carers: Government Assistance

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of support available to kinship carers.

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans his Department has to encourage local authorities to increase their support for kinship carers in the context of the varying levels of support under different local authorities.

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the level of need for respite breaks for kinship carers.

Will Quince: The government recognises the important role that kinship carers play in caring for children who are unable to live with their parents. We know that most children benefit from living with someone they already know and trust. Therefore, in recent years we have improved the support to these families.The government issued statutory guidance in 2011 for local authorities about support for kinship carers. The guidance makes it clear that children and young people should receive the support that they and their carers need to safeguard and promote their welfare. The local authority should also have in place clear eligibility criteria in relation to the provision of support services. This can include providing short breaks (respite) for families where they need this.The government has also extended funding for the Family and Friends helpline, run by the Family Rights Group, which offers kinship families support, advice and guidance. In 2021 the government added kinship carers to the priority groups that local authorities must include in their school admissions Fair Access Protocols to include children in kinship care arrangements, and this year the government are providing funding of £1 million for the organisation Kinship to deliver more peer to peer support groups to kinship carers across England.The department is aware from feedback from carers that the provision of support is mixed, and the Independent Review of Social Care, published on 23 May 2022, sets out a compelling case for more support for these families. The department is now looking at the recommendations, including those in kinship care, which will inform an ambitious and detailed government response and implementation strategy, to be published before the end of 2022.

Apprentices: Environment Protection

Mr Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Net Zero strategy, what steps the Government is taking to help promote apprenticeships in the environmental sector.

Alex Burghart: I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Sutton Coldfield to the answer I gave on 24 May 2022 to Question 3482.

Children: Social Services

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on funding for the care system in response to the independent review of children's social care.

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Government has plans to bring forward legislative proposals in response to the independent review of children's social care.

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment the Government has made of the potential implications for its policies of the funding recommendations made by the independent review of children's social care.

Will Quince: On 23 May 2022, the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care published its final recommendations. On the same day, the department set out the actions it is taking to improve children’s social care and committed to publishing a detailed and ambitious implementation strategy in due course.As the department develops an implementation strategy, we will consider the recommendations carefully, including cost implications and where legislation might be required.

John Fisher School

Elliot Colburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has had with the Archdiocese of Southwark on the diocese's decision to (a) remove foundational governors from the Governing Board of The John Fisher School in Purley and (b) to cancel the visit of an LGBT+ author from visiting that school; and what discussion he has had with the diocese to encourage it to engage with meditation with that school.

Mr Robin Walker: The department is working with the Archdiocese, the Catholic Education Service, and the local authority to agree a way forward to ensure continuing stable governance and pupil education at John Fisher School in Purley.The governing body and the National Education Union entered talks mediated by the Advisory, Conciliation, and Arbitration Service with the aim of halting further disruption to pupils’ education. Agreement was reached and there is no further planned industrial action at the school.

Carew Academy

Elliot Colburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will publish his revised timetable for the (a) delivery of The Futures Academy school on the Sheen Way site and (b) decamp of staff and pupils from the Carew Manor site.

Mr Robin Walker: The department is working closely with the Orchard Hill College and Academy Trust and the local authority to build the new special free school, Carew Academy (formerly known as The Futures Academy). The school will provide high quality, modern facilities that will give young people with special needs in Sutton the best possible start to their lives. The department will be able to provide greater certainty on the delivery of the school and proposed opening date once the outstanding planning conditions have been satisfactorily resolved with the local authority.

Further Education: Equality

Tom Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the impact on pupils' learning of inclusive learning teams in each further education college.

Alex Burghart: The government is committed to ensuring that all learners, including learners with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), have access to a world-class education that sets them up for life and supports them to achieve positive outcomes.Whilst it is for individual colleges to decide how best to support learners with SEND, they must have regard to the SEND code of practice and use their best endeavours to secure the special educational provision called for by the student’s special educational needs.Ofsted is the body responsible for assessing the quality of further education colleges, rather than my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education. The quality of provision for learners with special educational needs and/or SEND is always considered by Ofsted on inspection.As of 31 August 2021, 80% of colleges inspected by Ofsted are rated Good or Outstanding.

Schools: Asbestos

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make it his policy to increase annual capital expenditure on schools in order to fund the removal of all dangerous asbestos from school buildings within 40 years.

Mr Robin Walker: The department expect all local authorities, governing bodies and academy trusts to have robust plans in place to manage asbestos in school buildings effectively, in line with their legal duties.The department has followed expert advice from the Health and Safety Executive, that, if asbestos-containing materials are in good condition, well protected, and unlikely to be damaged or disturbed, it is usually safer to manage them in place. We have noted the recommendations in the Work and Pensions Committee’s report on the management of asbestos and the government will respond in due course.The department has allocated over £13 billion since 2015 to improve the condition of school buildings, including £1.8 billion committed for the 2022/23 financial year. Asbestos is often removed as part of wider routine works or upgrades to school buildings. Where asbestos can no longer be managed safely in situ, it should be removed or encapsulated.In addition, the new School Rebuilding Programme will rebuild or significantly refurbish buildings in the poorest condition at 500 schools over the next decade. The nomination process for the next round closed in March 2022. Evidence of severe need and safety issues was able to be submitted for consideration by the programme, including extensive asbestos that can no longer be safety managed in situ, and needs a rebuilding project to resolve.The department has taken significant steps to support the school sector in strengthening asbestos management and meeting their legal duties, including publishing updated guidance on effective management of asbestos in autumn 2020 and launching the Asbestos Management Assurance Process in March 2018. The assurance process found no indication of systemic failures in the management of asbestos across the state-funded school estate.

Free Schools: Sutton

Elliot Colburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he plans to revisit the decision on funding for Sutton Free School 1 in the event that data demonstrates a need for further secondary school places in the London Borough of Sutton.

Mr Robin Walker: Sutton Free School 1 was cancelled because opening the school would have resulted in a large surplus of secondary places over the medium to long term, undermining the viability of other good schools in the area. Once a project has been formally cancelled by ministers, that decision cannot be revisited.However, should pupil forecasts change and demonstrate the need for a new school there is still the opportunity for a new secondary free school to be established in Sutton. Indeed, where a local authority thinks there is a demographic need for a new school in its area, it must seek proposals to establish an academy. This is known as the free school presumption process. The department also approves new academies through a central free school application route. The Schools White Paper set out our intention to seek proposals for new mainstream free schools in the areas of greatest need for additional places, prioritising proposals located in Education Investment Areas. This process will take account of the latest data on the need for additional school places. We will set out more details on this process in due course.

Ministry of Justice

Criminal Injuries Compensation

Kate Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when his Department plans to respond to the Criminal Injury Compensation Scheme Review 2020.

Tom Pursglove: I am grateful to all who took the time to contribute views to our consultation following a review of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme. Our proposals aim to make claiming compensation simpler and more accessible for victims of violent crime.We are carefully reviewing responses and will aim to publish the Government’s response in due course.

Prisoners: Repatriation

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his policy is on the circumstances under which voluntary deportation to countries of origin is the appropriate course of action for people serving indeterminate sentences of Imprisonment for Public Protection in the UK.

Tom Pursglove: The Tariff-Expired Removal Scheme (TERS) is a mandatory scheme under which all foreign national prisoners serving indeterminate sentences will be considered for removal from the UK once their tariff expires.This scheme is jointly administered with the Home Office and decisions to approve or refuse a removal under TERS are authorised by the Public Protection Casework Section in HMPPS on behalf of the Secretary of State.Further information about the scheme can be found on gov.uk: The Tariff-Expired Removal Scheme (publishing.service.gov.uk).

Defamation

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent steps he has taken to prevent UK libel laws from being used to (a) prevent or (b) punish the exposure of wrongdoing in the international development sector by burdening those involved in such exposures with the costs of a legal defence.

Tom Pursglove: The Government published a consultation paper (and call for evidence) in March 2022 setting out options for reform in defamation law and other areas of litigation subject to Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) which are designed to inhibit public interest activities. We are determined to address the challenges this aggressive litigation presents. We are currently considering responses and intend to move quickly to pursue reforms, including legislation, to tackle this problem.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

China: Uyghurs

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she is considering imposing additional sanctions on China due to the continued persecution of Uyghur Muslims in that country.

Amanda Milling: The Government has previously imposed sanctions against Chinese Government officials and an entity responsible for enforcing China's repressive policies in Xinjiang. These measures were taken alongside the US, EU and Canada in an unprecedented joint action. While we do not speculate about possible future designations, as to do so may undermine their effectiveness, we will continue to keep all potential listings and evidence under review.

UNRWA: Finance

Caroline Ansell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her Department’s stated zero tolerance approach to antisemitism of the UK’s financial support for the UN Relief and Works Agency which utilises the official Palestinian Authority school curriculum in its schools in the West Bank and Gaza; and if she will make a statement.

Amanda Milling: The UK is committed to combatting the rise of antisemitism in all its forms. We accompany our support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) with stringent attention to implementation of their neutrality policy, including how they apply this to textbooks and other learning material to ensure they reflect UN values. In Gaza and the West Bank, UNRWA uses the Palestinian Authority's (PA's) curriculum in their schools after rigorously reviewing that it is in line with UN values. Officials from the British Consulate General Jerusalem regularly discuss the curriculum with counterparts in UNRWA and the PA.

Horn of Africa and East Africa: Development Aid

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support the East and Horn of Africa in (a) preparing for future droughts, (b) building more resilient systems and (c) ending exacerbating factors such as conflict.

Vicky Ford: The humanitarian situation across East Africa and the Horn of Africa is extremely concerning. Conflict and drought are the main causes of humanitarian need with tens of millions of people affected.Our response to the current drought builds on long-established resilience building programmes in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. In Kenya this includes support to the Hunger Safety Programme, which has provided 600,000 people in drought prone areas with regular financial assistance. In Ethiopia, the UK funded Productive Safety Net Programme has benefitted some 8 million people via financial welfare provision and community public works projects. In Somalia the UK has been supporting over 220 rural communities in three large urban cities through sustainable initiatives targeting internally displaced persons. These programmes, coupled with additional investments we have made in more drought resilient infrastructure, have enabled the UK to reach nearly 8 million people. The UK is also committed to promoting peace and security across the Horn of Africa. In Ethiopia, for example, through the 'Civil Society Support Programme' the UK funded efforts to: promote good governance; strengthen citizen accountability; challenge societal attitudes on gender-based violence.

British Overseas Territories: Ownership

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, in the context of the conflict in Ukraine, whether the Government plans to encourage British Overseas Territories to speed up the introduction of publicly accessible registers of beneficial ownership.

Amanda Milling: The UK and the Overseas Territories stand united in condemning the Russian Government's egregious violation of international law and the UN Charter. The Overseas Territories released a joint statement in solidarity with the UK, which reaffirmed their commitment to continuing to uphold the highest international standards of transparency and accountability.All Overseas Territories have committed to introduce publicly accessible registers of company beneficial ownership. These commitments exceed the standards set by the Financial Action Task Force on beneficial ownership transparency, and put them ahead of most jurisdictions. The UK Government expects the registers to be in place by the end of 2023.The six Overseas Territories with global financial centres already share beneficial ownership information with UK law enforcement agencies under the exchange of notes arrangements.

Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the impact of her Department’s planned reduction of funding to multilateral organisations on global efforts to (a) end the epidemics of (i) AIDS, (ii) malaria and (iii) tuberculosis and (b) reduce the number of deaths caused by those diseases.

Amanda Milling: The UK is and will continue to be a leading donor on AIDS, malaria and TB, in particular through our continued financial and leadership contributions to multilaterals that work on these diseases such as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria and UNAIDS. We have not yet finalised allocations to specific multilateral institutions. We will also continue to invest in research to develop new approaches to tackling these diseases to ensure continued progress. Our investments, such as the first child friendly antimalarial treatment and a new PCR based technology to test for TB will continue to make a world leading difference to reduce the number of deaths caused by AIDS, TB and malaria.

Development Aid

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department plans to update the International Development Strategy to include specific targets on (a) food security, (b) access to reproductive and sexual healthcare and (c) clean water and sanitation.

Amanda Milling: The International Development Strategy (IDS) sets out the government's vision for the future of UK international development, with further details set out in associated strategies. Tackling the worsening global food security crisis, exacerbated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, is a key priority for the UK. We are working with G7 allies to ensure a coherent international response. In addition to humanitarian assistance, the IDS commits us to develop solutions to challenges in our global food system which include root causes of food insecurity. We will honour our COP26 targets and boost sustainable agriculture productivity in developing countries.Access to reproductive and sexual healthcare and clean water and sanitation are also priorities. The IDS reiterates our target to support efforts to end preventable deaths of mothers, babies and children by 2030. Our Approach Paper of December 2021: Ending the Preventable Deaths of Mothers, Babies and Children by 2030; explains how the UK will deliver on this to 2024 and our strategic direction to 2030, including through actions to accelerate progress on sexual and reproductive health and rights, address malnutrition and promote access to climate resilient water supply, hygiene and sanitation services. The FCDO is business planning the delivery and measurement of our commitments, including our commitment to spend £1.5 billion between 2022 and 2030 on nutrition.

British Overseas Territories: Companies

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department has had discussions with authorities in (a) Bermuda, (b) British Virgin Islands and (c) the Cayman Islands on the potential merits of increasing protections for British minority shareholders in companies incorporated in those jurisdictions.

Amanda Milling: The Overseas Territories are self-governing jurisdictions with their own democratically elected governments, who are responsible for their own financial services policy. The regulation of the financial services industries in the Overseas Territories are a matter for their elected governments. The FCDO has not discussed the issue of British minority shareholders with Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands or the Cayman Islands. The Overseas Territories cooperate with the UK on taxation, fighting financial crime and countering terrorist finance. They are committed to meeting international standards on illicit finance, tax transparency and anti-money laundering; including those set by the OECD and the Financial Action Task Force.

British Overseas Territories: Companies

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential risk that listed companies, including those that are Chinese or Russian controlled, may use incorporation in the British Overseas Territories to pay less than market value to other shareholders when taking the business private.

Amanda Milling: The Overseas Territories are self-governing jurisdictions with their own democratically elected governments, who are responsible for their own financial services policy. The Overseas Territories cooperate with the UK on taxation, fighting financial crime and are implementing sanctions targeted at Russia. They are committed to meeting international standards on illicit finance, tax transparency and anti-money laundering; including those set by the OECD, the Financial Action Task Force and regional standards set by the EU. The FCDO has not made an assessment of these risks; the regulation of the financial services industries in the Overseas Territories are a matter for their elected governments.

British Overseas Territories: Companies

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to prevent companies from using lower regulatory standards in (a) Bermuda, (b) British Virgin Islands and (c) Cayman Islands to (i) take advantage of loopholes and (ii) avoid scrutiny from shareholders.

Amanda Milling: The Overseas Territories including Bermuda, British Virgin Islands and Cayman Islands are self-governing jurisdictions with their own democratically elected governments, who are responsible for their own financial services policy. The Overseas Territories cooperate with the UK on taxation, fighting financial crime and sanctions enforcement. They are committed to meeting international standards on illicit finance, tax transparency and anti-money laundering including those set by the OECD, the Financial Action Task Force and regional standards set by the EU. In 2020, the Financial Action Task Force issued an excellent rating following an evaluation of Bermuda's regulatory regime for combatting money laundering and the financing of terrorism and proliferation. The Overseas Territories also continue to share valuable company ownerships and tax information with UK law authorities, under the invaluable Exchange of Notes process. It was information shared by an Overseas Territory which enabled the UK's first Unexplained Wealth Order.

British Overseas Territories

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to help ensure that British Overseas Territories are not being used to circumvent sanctions.

Amanda Milling: The Government is proud of the principled stand that the Overseas Territories have taken in relation to implementing sanctions. UK sanctions apply in all Overseas Territories. The elected leaders of the Territories have publicly confirmed their commitment to continuing to uphold the highest international standards of transparency and accountability and to fully implementing the UK sanctions against Russia. The Government will continue to provide guidance and support on implementation of sanctions where appropriate. Additionally, the UK's Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, which sits within HM Treasury, engages regularly with Overseas Territories on compliance, enforcement and licensing. This engagement has assisted these jurisdictions in improving the implementation of financial sanctions across the wider British Family.

Ministry of Defence

National Shipbuilding Office

Cherilyn Mackrory: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure that the National Shipbuilding Office will maximise opportunities for work for UK shipyards in future public procurement competitions.

Jeremy Quin: The refreshed National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSbS) sets out the 30-year cross-Government shipbuilding pipeline. The National Shipbuilding Office (NSO) will seek to maximise the opportunity for UK industry in this pipeline, in accordance with our international obligations, including by championing UK shipbuilding and ensuring that our procurements deliver on the policy objectives set out in the NSbS. The NSbS also recognises that the value of the shipbuilding sector goes well beyond building hulls and is spread throughout the entire supporting supply chain. The NSO will therefore work to encourage UK content for all parts of the shipbuilding enterprise. Lastly, for all cross-Government shipbuilding competitions, the Government has set out a clear commitments to delivering on social value. This could include the extent to which they support skills development or supply chain resilience.

Army: Procurement

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what criteria his Department uses to measure social value in relation to army procurement.

Jeremy Quin: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has implemented the Cabinet Office Social Value Model for its competitive procurements in accordance with Public Procurement Notice (PPN) 06/20 ‘taking account of social value in the award of central government contracts’. The Land Industrial Strategy acknowledges that many of the themes and outcomes identified in the Social Value Model will be highly relevant as we seek to foster an innovative, globally competitive and highly skilled land sector in the UK. To ensure that the taxpayer receives greater value from procurement decisions, the MOD Delivery Teams must ensure that the Model Award Criterion, identified within the Cabinet Office Social Value Model are relevant and proportionate to the procurement undertaken. Furthermore, MOD Delivery Teams activity conduct market engagement analysis to further ensure greater value for money is achieved.  The MOD Delivery Teams also have the ability to determine the appropriate weightings across the priority Social Value themes for larger procurement programmes and can use a weighting in excess of 10%, if deemed appropriate. Social Value is measured by use of standard reporting metrics set out in the Cabinet Office Social Value Model and Contractor proposed metrics.

Defence: Innovation

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which office in his Department will oversee the Defence BattleLab.

James Heappey: The 1* responsible for Defence BattleLab currently sits within Army HQ. This chair responsibility will rotate between the three services. The team is staffed by Army and Royal Navy personnel with financial investment from the Defence Innovation Unit, the Army, the Royal Navy, Strategic Command, Dorset Council and Dorset Local Enterprise Partnership.The Defence BattleLab Board has a representation from all of these bodies. The board also has a representation from the RAF, Dstl, The Defence and Security Accelerator and jHub Defence Innovation.

Asylum: Housing

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which of his Department's sites are being considered for use as asylum accommodation in the future.

James Heappey: In 2020 Defence made available Napier Barracks in Kent to the Home Office to provide additional asylum accommodation capacity and this is expected to continue until 2025. In December 2021, in response to a further request for estate to enable processing of cross-channel migrants, Defence made available the former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre at Manston, Kent. Defence is currently in the process of finalising a Memorandum of Transfer of Occupation which will enable the Home Office to occupy RAF Linton-on-Ouse in order to provide additional asylum accommodation capacity.The Home Office has not made any further requests for MOD sites beyond those mentioned above.

Asylum: Housing

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether sites in his Department's estate were considered alongside RAF Linton-on-Ouse for use as an asylum accommodation site.

James Heappey: In response to a request from the Home Office to examine whether Defence sites could be utilised to provide additional asylum accommodation capacity, the MOD undertook a review of the Defence estate to identify potential options. In order to minimise the operational impact to Defence, this review focused on transit and training sites and those sites due to be disposed of in the coming years, which included RAF Linton-on-Ouse. A number of other sites were considered and discounted.

Asylum: Linton-on-Ouse

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will (a) provide details of and (b) publish any agreement his Department has reached with the Home Office to enable the site at Linton-on-Ouse to be used as asylum accommodation.

James Heappey: The Home Office will assume occupation of RAF Linton-on-Ouse under a Memorandum of Transfer of Occupation (MOTO) which is a commonly used method of making estate owned by one Department available to another. There are currently no plans to publish this MOTO once finalised.

RAF Linton-on-Ouse

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, who the owner or tenant is of the site at RAF Linton-on-Ouse; and whether that site has recently been sold or rented.

James Heappey: RAF Linton-on-Ouse, established in 1937, is part of the Defence estate. Flying operations ceased there in 2020. Following an assessment that there was no long-term military requirement for RAF Linton-on-Ouse, the MOD commenced drawing down the site as part of already announced plans to release the site by the end of 2023.As announced by the Government on 14 April 2022, the Home Office are due to assume occupation of RAF Linton-on-Ouse under a Memorandum of Transfer of Occupation to establish a reception centre for asylum seekers.

Cybersecurity

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle cyber attacks against the UK.

James Heappey: Defence has a leading role in delivering the ambitions of the Government's National Cyber Strategy. An important part of this is our substantial investment in the National Cyber Force, a partnership between Defence and Intelligence, whose role includes supporting the National Cyber Security Centre to counter threats in cyberspace. Through Defence Digital, the MOD works to defend military networks to improve our resilience and protect against cyber-attacks that could put our military and civilian personnel at risk while protecting the UK and its interests.

Russia: Ukraine

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has made an estimate of the number of false flag operations conducted by Russia with the intention of legitimising military action in Ukraine.

James Heappey: False flag operations are one tool of many that Russia could use as part of its wider doctrine of information confrontation - seeking to undermine and destabilise its adversaries. Russia seeks to dominate and control the information environment - especially in times of conflict. While this is the case, the UK alongside allies and partners will continue to expose Russia's strategy and tactics, including false flag operations and disinformation.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Dogs: Electronic Training Aids

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 9 March 2020 to Question 24232 on Dogs: Electronic Training Aids, what the merits for animal welfare are of (a) not banning electronic collars used to stop dogs barking of (b) banning electronic collars used to stop dogs chasing livestock.

Victoria Prentis: Following a consultation in 2018, and as set out in our Action Plan for Animal Welfare, the Government decided to ban electric shock collars controlled by hand-held devices in England, under new legislation which should be introduced this year, given their scope to harm cats and dogs. We have listened carefully to a range of views from pet owners and respondents, as well as consulting key stakeholders including animal welfare charities, e-collar manufacturers, and trainers who use e-collars. The proposed ban on the use of electric shock collars controlled by hand-held devices was developed after considering a broad range of factors, including the impact of a ban. When considered alongside the academic research, the public consultation responses, and direct engagement with the sector, the Government concluded that these types of electric shock collars present an unacceptable risk to the welfare of dogs and cats and that their use should not be permitted. The research revealed that many e-collar users were not using them properly and in compliance with the manufacturers’ instructions. As well as being misused to inflict unnecessary harm, there is also concern that e-collars can redirect aggression or generate anxiety-based behaviour in pets, making underlying behavioural and health problems worse. We appreciate that the right approach for pet owners to take in managing and controlling their dog’s behaviour differs from both person to person and from pet to pet. Defra would advise all owners who are concerned about controlling their dog’s behaviour, for whatever reason, to take advice from their vet or a suitably qualified dog behaviourist or trainer. Such specialists would be best positioned to advise on the best approach for their specific case. The Animal Behaviour and Training Council maintains national registers of appropriately qualified trainers and behaviourists.The statutory Code of Practice for the Welfare of Dogs includes guidance and reminders for owners about their responsibilities to provide for the welfare needs of their animal, but also to keep their dogs safe and under control. The Code of Practice applies to handling dogs in the vicinity of livestock and taking action to prevent dogs from escaping to reduce the occurrence of attacks or chasing. The best proven method of preventing a dog from attacking livestock is to keep the dog on a lead when exercising around other animals, as advised by farmers and other keepers of livestock. Natural England has also published a refreshed version of the Countryside Code, which makes specific reference to keeping dogs in sight and under control to make sure they stay away from livestock, wildlife, horses and other people unless invited. Moreover, the Countryside Code helpfully sets out certain legal requirements, encouraging visitors to always check local signs as there are locations where you must keep your dog on a lead around livestock for all or part of the year.

Gun Sports: Lead

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he is taking steps to encourage game hunters the change from lead-shot to steel-shot ammunition for shotguns.

Jo Churchill: Defra welcomed the 2020 joint statement by shooting organisations calling for the phasing out of lead shot in ammunition for live quarry by 2025. Earlier this month the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) published a dossier setting out options for restrictions on lead ammunition. This is now subject to consultation until 6 November and we will carefully consider HSE’s recommendations following the outcome of that consultation.

Foot and Mouth Disease: Disease Control

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that the recent outbreak of foot and mouth in Southeast Asia does not spread to the UK.

Jo Churchill: Measures are in place to reduce the risk of foot and mouth disease (FMD) virus entering the UK and to prevent its introduction to livestock. These measures include:monitoring of international surveillance reports to inform Defra’s assessment of the threat presented by different trade routes;working with our National Reference Laboratory and international networks and partners, including Australia and New Zealand, to better assess risks. This informs targeting of measures at the border, domestic disease surveillance and communications to raise the awareness of livestock keepers;only permitting imports from countries which meet our import conditions, including compliance with measures to prevent and detect FMD in those countries;requiring imported meat and dairy products to be accompanied by animal and public health certification confirming that they come from an area that is free from FMD;strict rules for the movement of animals and genetic material, including specific rules for limiting trade with any regions affected by FMD;veterinary certification of the health of the animals to be imported prior to departure and confirming compliance with the trade conditions;post-import checks on a proportion of imported animals; anda ban on the feeding of certain animal products that might introduce FMD to livestock in the UK. Our FMD contingency plan describes the measures we take to prevent and, in the event of an incursion of FMD, control outbreaks of FMD. The plan is reviewed annually and tested regularly, including national response exercises. (https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/69456/fmd-control-strategy111128.pdf)

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the email dated 5 May 2022 from his Department's Bovine TB Programme to authors of a report cited in the Veterinary Record containing a correction and apology from his Department for a data error on the incidence of bovine TB in areas where badgers were not culled, if he will issue a (a) public apology for, and retraction of his Department's blog issued by his Department's press office on 18 March 2022, entitled Rebuttal of claims on TB cull effectiveness and (b) correction to all journalists and independent parties briefed on the contents of that press statement; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Churchill: The Veterinary Record has published a correction to the data error in the letter from the UK Chief Veterinary Officer and Defra’s Chief Scientific Adviser published on 19 March 2022. This does not alter the conclusions in the original letter. We have also corrected the corresponding Government Vets blog post. Thus, we have no plans to make a public apology for, or retraction of, Defra’s statements in response to the paper by Thomas Langton and others published on 18 March 2022.

Water: Pyridine

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the levels of pyridine in UK waters.

Rebecca Pow: The Environment Agency (EA) is responsible for improving water quality in England. It monitors rivers and estuaries for a range of substances, including pyridine. Between 2005 and 2022, the EA has detected the presence of pyridine in coastal and estuarine waters of England on 30 occasions from a total of 5023 routine samples analysed. During this period, the EA has also analysed 21635 routine freshwater samples in England (this category includes: Rivers, Canals, Lakes/Ponds/Reservoir, and Land Drains) and detected pyridine in 64 of those samples. This summary of the data suggests that to date there have been relatively few detections of pyridine in the aquatic environment, and we will continue to monitor it closely.

Poultry: Factory Farming

Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will make an assessment of the implications for its policies of the Dispatches programme broadcast on 29 November 2021 entitled, The truth about your chicken; and if he will make a statement.

Rebecca Pow: The Government’s view is that farms of all sizes have a role to play in UK agriculture and food production. What is important is not the size of the farm but compliance with our robust domestic standards. Well-established enforcement strategies are in place to ensure compliance with animal health and welfare requirements. Stockmanship is key and farmers of meat chickens are required to be competent and trained in the tasks that they perform. This Government will continue to take steps to regulate farming practices proportionately and effectively, to safeguard animal welfare, reduce the risk of zoonotic disease and reduce risks to human health. We are making improvements to the existing legal framework and enforcement regime to ensure greater compliance and enhance the health and welfare of farmed animals. We are also working in partnership with the livestock sector and a wide range of academics, non-Governmental organisations and other experts to implement the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway, supporting continuous improvement in farm animal health and welfare. The Government has no role to play in setting standards for any independent farm assurance scheme. Defra is a co-signatory with the Department of Health and Social Care of the UK’s Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) National Action Plan, and the UK is a global leader on AMR. We do not support the unnecessary use of antibiotics in animals, or farming practices which rely on routine or predictable antibiotic use. However, antibiotics play a role in treating certain animal diseases and are therefore essential to ensure the health and welfare of animals. Data collected by the British Poultry Council (BPC), which represents 90% of the meat poultry sector, show that antibiotic use in broiler chickens has reduced by 67% since 2014. This has been driven by the BPC’s Antibiotic Stewardship Scheme, which is based on the principle of reducing, refining and replacing the use of antibiotics and promoting best practice at all steps of production. The goal of reducing antibiotic consumption and improving stewardship is to reduce antibiotic resistance. The Veterinary Medicines Directorate has been measuring levels of antibiotic resistance in E. coli in poultry since 2014, and the results show that resistance in broiler chickens has decreased substantially, including to antibiotics that are critically important to human health. The Government is aware of the contribution of faecal contamination, primarily from poultry manure, to the health of the river Wye. Over 60% of the phosphate load in the Wye Catchment is from diffuse agricultural pollution from livestock manure and nutrients washing into the river during rainfall. The Government is working closely with local stakeholders to address the Wye’s specific situation, both through supporting the local Nutrient Management Board, as well as working towards strategic solutions for both the short-term unblocking of housing and the long-term improvement of the local environment through a cross-government Taskforce. To support this, there are also a host of national actions coming online to address agricultural pollution, which include:further investment in the successful Catchment Sensitive Farming programme;an expansion of Environment Agency enforcement capacity and funding;several grants and incentives aimed to support better farm practises and local recovery;a review of current regulatory measures. Red Tractor is an industry-led farm assurance scheme. Therefore, it would be inappropriate for the Government to comment on the implementation of its guidelines or individual cases. Meeting regulatory requirements is a vital component to bringing improvements to the local Wye catchment. If there are concerns that farmers are breaching regulations, they should be reported to the Environment Agency, which will work with local farmers to bring them into compliance.

UK Trade with EU: Perishable Goods

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of facilitating a fast-track route for exports of perishable goods from the UK to the EU; and if he will make a statement.

Victoria Prentis: The Government works with relevant authorities to mitigate delays for passengers and freight travelling from the UK to the EU. In traffic management plans any prioritisation or fast-track route is extremely difficult and open to legal challenge. Therefore the most effective approach is to keep all traffic moving safely. Previous prioritisation schemes designed to pre-empt readiness issues associated with EU-exit did not need to be deployed and the legal gateway for them has closed.

UK-EU Partnership Council

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish (a) the minutes of the last meeting of the Trade Specialist Committee, (b) a full list of Ministers who attended the last meeting of the Trade Specialist Committee, (c) a list of all attendees of the last meeting of the Trade Specialist Committee and (d) the date of the next scheduled meeting of the Trade Specialist Committee; and if he will make a statement.

Victoria Prentis: The minutes and attendees of the first meeting of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) Trade Specialised Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures are published on the GOV.UK website: Trade Specialised Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). The meeting is co-chaired by senior officials from the UK and EU. As set out in Article 8 (7) and (8) of the TCA, the Committee shall meet at least once a year, and the meeting schedule is set by mutual consent. No date has yet been agreed for the second meeting.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing support payments and grants to farmers in England in the context of rates of agricultural inflation.

Victoria Prentis: In light of recently rising input costs and price volatility around certain agricultural commodities such as nitrogen fertiliser, the Government is planning to change the way we make payments under the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) in 2022. Eligible farmers will now receive their payment in two instalments - half from the end of July and the rest from December 2022. This will be a permanent change to Direct Payments that will remain for the rest of the agricultural transition. By doing this, the Government intends to inject cash into farm businesses, helping them to make business decisions sooner, with more confidence. This builds on the increase in revenue payment rates for the Countryside Stewardship (CS) scheme to reflect the change in costs since 2013, which Defra announced in January 2022. The majority of payment rates increased, on average by around 30%, although rate changes vary from option to option. These changes affected around 30,000 agreements. In March 2022, Defra began rolling out the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) to recipients of the BPS. SFI will help with the costs of sowing nitrogen fixing plants and green manures in crops to substitute some fertiliser requirements for the coming season, as well as reducing the dependence on manufactured fertilisers which are impacted by the price of gas. Rising fertiliser prices highlight that we need to find alternatives and move towards more organic-based fertiliser products. SFI is designed to help farmers move to these new sustainable farming methods gradually - which will improve environmental conditions of the land, while building the long-term resilience of our food security and production. The Secretary of State recently announced a range of measures in support of the current situation, such as delaying changes to the use of urea fertiliser to help farmers manage their costs and improving statutory guidance for use of slurry. Defra has also created the Fertiliser Taskforce - where Government and industry are working together to help improve market confidence and provide farmers with the information they need to make business decisions on fertiliser use. Towards the end of this year, farmers will be able to apply for slurry storage grants, helping them to meet the Farming Rules for Water and reducing their dependence on artificial fertilisers. This grant will contribute towards the costs of covered slurry store construction projects, helping farmers to get six months storage capacity. Defra is supporting investment in technology and research to further improve productivity. The Farming Equipment and Technology Fund has offered grants of up to £48m to over 4,000 applicants - enabling farmers to invest in equipment, technology and infrastructure. We have also announced a new Adding Value theme - a £30 million fund helping farmers and growers to process, diversify and add-value to their products. Furthermore, we have announced new Research Starter Projects - open to individual farming, growing or forestry businesses in England to develop feasibility studies to accelerate research and development. The Government continues to monitor the wider context of global supplies that can impact farm income and productivity, as well as take-up of our agri-environment and other schemes. Defra will use the findings to inform our plans throughout the agricultural transition.

Agriculture: Subsidies

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of uplifting support payments and grants to farmers in England in the context of the rates of agricultural inflation.

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of applying inflation indexes to support payments and grants available to farmers in England.

Victoria Prentis: We are not at this time planning on applying inflation indices but we will review payment rates for our offers so that they remain credible and attractive to farmers. In light of recently rising input costs and price volatility around certain agricultural commodities such as nitrogen fertiliser, the Government is planning to change the way we make payments under the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) in 2022. Eligible farmers will now receive their payment in two instalments - half from the end of July and the rest from December 2022. This will be a permanent change to Direct Payments that will remain for the rest of the agricultural transition. By doing this, the Government intends to inject cash into farm businesses, helping them to make business decisions sooner, with more confidence. This builds on the increase in revenue payment rates for the Countryside Stewardship scheme to reflect the change in costs since 2013, which Defra announced in January 2022. The majority of payment rates increased, on average by around 30%, although rate changes vary from option to option. These changes affected around 30,000 agreements and show we are willing and able to respond as and when there is a clear case. In March 2022, Defra began rolling out the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) to recipients of the BPS. SFI will help with the costs of sowing nitrogen fixing plants and green manures in crops to substitute some fertiliser requirements for the coming season, as well as reducing the dependence on manufactured fertilisers which are impacted by the price of gas. Rising fertiliser prices highlight that we need to find alternatives and move towards more organic-based fertiliser products. SFI is designed to help farmers move to these new sustainable farming methods gradually - which will improve environmental conditions of the land, while building the long-term resilience of our food security and production. The Secretary of State recently announced a range of measures in support of the current situation, such as delaying changes to the use of urea fertiliser to help farmers manage their costs and improving statutory guidance for use of slurry. Defra has also created the Fertiliser Taskforce - where Government and industry are working together to help improve market confidence and provide farmers with the information they need to make business decisions on fertiliser use. Towards the end of this year, farmers will be able to apply for slurry storage grants, helping them to meet the Farming Rules for Water and reducing their dependence on artificial fertilisers. This grant will contribute towards the costs of covered slurry store construction projects, helping farmers to get six months storage capacity. We will set the rates based on our assessment of the market at the time, as is our usual practice. Defra is supporting investment in technology and research to further improve productivity. The Farming Equipment and Technology Fund has offered grants of up to £48m to over 4,000 applicants - enabling farmers to invest in equipment, technology and infrastructure. We have also announced a new Adding Value theme - a £30 million fund helping farmers and growers to process, diversify and add-value to their products again using up to date market information. The Government continues to monitor the wider context of global supplies that can impact farm income and productivity, as well as take-up of our agri-environment and other schemes. Defra will use the findings to inform our plans throughout the agricultural transition.

Home Office

Seasonal Workers: Northern Ireland

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which licenced sponsors under the T5 Temporary Worker Seasonal Worker immigration route are operating in Northern Ireland.

Kevin Foster: Home Office Migration Statistics do not routinely publish information on sponsors other than issuing the register of sponsors.Those companies currently licensed to operate the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme (SAWS) pilot can be found here:Seasonal Workers Pilot request for information - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)The Seasonal Agricultural Workers Schemes (SAWS) operate throughout the United Kingdom and may place staff at various locations UK-wide moving them as the work requires during the season.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have arrived in the UK under the (a) Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy Scheme and (b) Afghan Resettlement Scheme as of 17 May; and how many people are currently in bridging hotels.

Kevin Foster: The UK Government undertook the biggest and fastest emergency evacuation in recent history. Over 15,000 people were supported to come to the UK directly following the evacuation of Afghanistan, and a further 3,000 have since arrived.Due to the scale and pace of the evacuation we have had to use hotels as a temporary measure. There are currently over 12,000 individuals from Afghanistan in bridging hotels. This cohort is made up of British and Afghan Nationals who may be eligible for Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) or Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS).We do not want to keep people in temporary accommodation for any longer than is necessary. We have moved – or are in the process of moving - over 6,000 people into homes since June 2021. There is a huge effort underway to support the families into permanent homes so they can settle and rebuild their lives, and to ensure those still temporarily accommodated in hotels are given the best start to their life in the UK.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what is the average processing time for (a) applications to the EU Settlement Scheme and (b) a family permit under the EU Settlement Scheme in each of the last 12 months.

Kevin Foster: Our aim is to process all applications to the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) as quickly as possible. Each individual case is considered on its own facts, which means some cases will inevitably take longer than others to conclude. Cases may take longer dependent on the circumstances of the case, for example, if the applicant is facing an impending prosecution or has a criminal record.The following link lists the expected processing times for EU Settlement Scheme applications, based upon current performance:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/eu-settlement-scheme-application-processing-times/eu-settlement-scheme-pilot-current-expected-processing-times-for-applications(opens in a new tab)(opens in a new tab)Our aim is to conclude applications for an EEA family permit or an EUSS family permit as soon as possible after identity and supporting documents are submitted. More information can be found here;Visa decision waiting times: applications outside the UK - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)Decisions are made in accordance with this service standard where possible.

Aviation: Travel Requirements

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of introducing greater flexibility on the use of diacritics beyond the guidelines set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation.

Kevin Foster: The British passport continues to be issued in line with international standards.British passports are not currently issued with a name using numbers, symbols or punctuation marks other than hyphens or apostrophes; or any diacritical marks such as accents.We have no current plans to revisit this issue.

Asylum: Employment

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 18 May 2022 to Question 847, on Asylum: Employment, what steps her Department is taking to promote employment support to (a) refugees and b) people entering the UK as part of a resettlement scheme.

Kevin Foster: Those granted refugee status or humanitarian protection, as well as those arriving under one of the UK’s resettlement schemes, have immediate access to the labour market and welfare benefits. If in receipt of Universal Credit, they can receive employment support from the Department for Work and Pensions.For those arriving through one of the UK’s resettlement schemes, the Home Office funds local and regional authorities to provide a package of support. As part of this, authorities are responsible for ensuring that arrivals are provided with a dedicated source of advice and support to assist with registering for mainstream benefits and services, including assistance with access to employment.For those who were asylum seekers, we provide a further 28 days' support after the grant of refugee status to help with the transition to the mainstream benefits system. This Move-On service includes advice and assistance in relation to applying for Universal Credit and employment support.

Naturalisation

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what (a) number of recorded incidents there have been of errors on naturalisation certificates and (b) the average time for a corrected certificate to be issued was in each of the last six months; what steps she is taking to help prevent certificates containing errors being issued in future; and if she will make a statement.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office does not publish data in relation to the amendment of details on naturalisation certificates or the time taken for amended certificates to be issued. A request to amend a naturalisation certificate is not counted as a new application and current IT systems do not provide the specific data.We have robust quality assurance measures in place and are continuously reviewing our processes to ensure we provide a high-quality service to our customers.

Visas: Russia

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the war in Ukraine is having an impact on the (a) eligibility of Russian nationals for skilled worker visas and (b) availability of such visas for Russian nationals.

Kevin Foster: The Skilled Worker Visa is open to all nationals, subject to immigration and criminality checks.

Migrant Workers: Visas

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time taken for a skilled worker application linked to a defined certificate of sponsorship to be approved is; what assessment she has made of backlogs for skilled worker applications linked to defined certificate of sponsorship applications; and what steps she is taking to resolve those backlogs.

Kevin Foster: Performance and efficiency of visa and sponsor licence processing is continually reviewed to ensure performance is as strong as possible.Information on our immigration routes with service standards and whether they have been processed against these standards is available as part of our transparency data, at: Migration transparency data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)We are, however, currently flexing resources across all routes to ensure a robust response to the Ukrainian crisis while still processing standard applications within service standard wherever possible. As a result, customers with standard applications in study, work, and family routes may experience some temporary impacts to the processing of their application.

Migrant Workers: Visas

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time taken for a defined certificate of sponsorship to be approved is; what assessment she has made of backlogs for defined certificate of sponsorship applications; and what steps she is taking to resolve those backlogs.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office does not routinely capture data on the processing times for defined certificates of sponsorship.UK Visas and Immigration has been experiencing an unprecedented high volume of applications, with around 30% referred back to the sponsor to provide further information which also contributes to the time taken to process them.Significant additional resource has been allocated to the case work team, to progress outstanding cases.

Asylum: Finance

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2022 to Question 371, what proportion of Section 95 applications are resolved within the target time periods set out in that answer, in the most recent period for which data is available.

Kevin Foster: These figures are not available in a reportable format and to provide the information could only be done at disproportionate cost. This is because we only hold operational data and it would need manual analysis and reporting.

Members: Correspondence

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what (a) number of enquiries were received in her Department's dedicated inbox for hon. Members and (b) proportion of those were responded to within 20 working days in each of the last three months; and if she will make a statement.

Kevin Foster: The Department works to a target of responding to 95% of Hon. Members written correspondence within 20 working days.Performance has been impacted by a significant increase in the volume of correspondence received, including the unprecedented amount of correspondence about the situation in Afghanistan and more recently in Ukraine.The Department continues to prioritise enquiries related to Ukraine and recognises it has not been able to meet service standard in other cases. An action plan has been implemented to clear backlogs and drive-up performance.The Department continues to recruit additional resources and has recently been loaned staff from non-operational areas to assist in clearing the backlogs. A detailed recovery plan to support a return to an acceptable service standard is being prepared.Data about intake and performance in answering Hon. Members correspondence are published quarterly with the latest Quarter available at: Customer service operations data: Q4 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Seasonal Workers: Northern Ireland

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many seasonal worker visas were issued to Ukrainian nationals registered to work for an employer located in Northern Ireland in 2021.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office is not able to supply data on this as sponsors who are permitted to recruit workers under the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Schemes (SAWS) operate throughout the United Kingdom. They may place staff at various locations UK-wide and move them as the work requires during the season.

Visas: Applications

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to resolve delays to processing of (a) visa applications for highly skilled workers and (b) visa sponsor licences.

Kevin Foster: Performance and efficiency of visa and sponsor licence processing is continually reviewed to ensure performance is as strong as possible.Information on our immigration routes with service standards and whether they have been processed against these standards is available as part of our transparency data, at: Migration transparency data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)We are, however, currently flexing resources across all routes to ensure a robust response to the Ukrainian crisis while still processing standard applications and sponsor licences within service standard wherever possible. As a result, customers with standard applications in study, work, and family routes may experience some temporary impacts to the processing of their application.

Visas: Ukraine

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department plans to provide data to the Hertfordshire Strategic Migration Steering Group on arrivals to Hertfordshire through the Ukraine Family Visa Scheme.

Kevin Foster: The Ukraine Family Scheme is for Ukrainian nationals who have family members in the UK and wish to join them here. Whilst there is an expectation customers will be looked after by their family sponsor, there is no requirement in the scheme for the sponsor to accommodate and support their family member once in the UK.The Home Office does not collect data on where Ukraine nationals will be living, therefore it cannot provide specific data on arrivals under the Ukraine Family Scheme to Hertfordshire.

UK Visas and Immigration: Telephone Services

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to increase staffing levels on the dedicated advice line for hon. Members at UK Visas and Immigration in the context of widespread delays experienced by customers.

Kevin Foster: We have seen significant increase in call volumes to the MP enquiry line in recent weeks linked to the situation in Ukraine and to passport applications.As a result of this we have worked to increase staffing across the MP enquiry line, but more specifically on the HMPO and Ukraine options. We expect to have up to 25 dedicated HMPO and up to 20 dedicated Ukraine call handlers available to take calls.MP’s can also contact the Home Office via the MP’s Urgent Enquiries inbox or in person at the Portcullis House walk-in hub.

Passports: Applications

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of passport applications, where no additional information was needed to be requested from the applicant after receipt, were processed within 10 working days in each month in each of the last 12 months.

Kevin Foster: Ahead of unrestricted international travel returning, HM Passport Office prepared extensively to serve an unprecedented number of customers, with 9.5 million British passport applications forecasted throughout 2022.These preparations, which include the recruitment of 650 additional staff since April 2021 and with plans in place to recruit a further 550 by this summer, have ensured that passport applications can be processed in higher numbers than ever before. This was demonstrated in March and April 2022 when HM Passport Office achieved record outputs by completing the processing of two million applications.Since April 2021, HM Passport Office has been advising people to allow up to 10 weeks when applying for their passport from the UK. However, Her Majesty’s Passport Office will always endeavor to process applications as quickly as possible, and in the simplest of cases requiring fewer manual interventions these may be processed much more quickly.

Passports: Applications

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many passport applications processed by her Department missed the 10-week processing target since 1 January 2022; and if she will make a statement.

Kevin Foster: Since April 2021, people have been advised to allow up to ten weeks when applying for their British passport as more than 5 million people delayed applying due to the pandemic. The vast majority of all passport applications continue to be dealt with well within 10 weeks HM Passport Office has increased its staffing numbers by 650 since April 2021 and is in the process of recruiting a further 550. This has helped to ensure that passport applications continue to be processed in higher numbers than ever before, with the processing of almost two million applications being completed across March and April 2022.

Windrush Compensation Scheme

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people who sought a tier one review through the Windrush Compensation Scheme received an increased offer of compensation in each month during the period from April 2019 to May 2022.

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people who sought a tier two review through the Windrush Compensation Scheme received an increased offer of compensation in each month during the period from April 2019 to May 2022.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office publishes Windrush Compensation Scheme Data monthly, including for Tier one and Tier two reviews. Published data is available to the end of March 2022, https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-transparency-data#windrush-compensation-scheme. Windrush Compensation Scheme data: March 2022 refers. The data covering the period ended 14 April 2022 and 12 May 2022 has not yet been published.The Home Office has no published data with regards to how many of those received increases. The information is not readily available in a reportable format nor held centrally and could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.

Migrants: Employment and Private Rented Housing

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether an (a) equalities or (b) data impact assessment was undertaken before the introduction of changes to a digital-only portal for (i) right to work and (ii) rent checks relating to immigration status.

Kevin Foster: On 12 October 2021, an Equality Impact Assessment was completed in respect of the possible removal of the use of physical biometric cards for use within the Right to Work and Right to Rent Schemes, demonstrating due regard to our obligations under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010.Data Protection Impact Assessments for the Home Office online checking services have been updated to reflect the changes.

Immigration: Children

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many young people under 18 who hold limited leave to remain status are resident in each of the nations of the UK; and what estimate she has made of the number of under 18s holding limited leave to remain who will be resident in each of the nations of the UK in the next 12 months.

Kevin Foster: The information requested could not be obtained without disproportionate cost as a manual trawl would have to take place.

Immigration

Christine Jardine: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) applications and (b) appeals for indefinite leave to remain have been awaiting a final decision for longer than six months as of 18 May 2022.

Christine Jardine: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many further leave to remain (a) applications and (b) appeals have been awaiting a final decision for longer than six months.

Christine Jardine: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people who have been waiting longer than six months for a decision on an application for further leave to remain have no recourse to public funds as of 18 May 2022.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office does not publish data on the number of applications which have been outstanding for longer than six months awaiting a final decision, nor does it hold data on those who do not have recourse to public funds awaiting a decision. To capture this data would exceed the cost threshold.The Home Office does publish data of its performance against its service level agreement, which can be found on the GOV.UK webpage: Migration transparency data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)The appeals information requested is not readily available or published. Her Majesty’s Court and Tribunal Service manage the appeals system and publish high level timeliness information.The most recent publication is here: Tribunal Statistics Quarterly: October to December 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Asylum: Hotels

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much her Department has spent on housing asylum seekers in hotels in each of the last five years.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Visas: Applications

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent estimate her Department has made of the average waiting time between someone from overseas submitting an application for a visitor visa and receiving a decision.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Immigration: Ukraine

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has issued guidance in respect of its approach to leave afforded to Ukrainian nationals who enter the UK via the Common Travel Area having arrived lawfully in the Republic of Ireland.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Visas: USA

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether premium application centres provide an accessible service for visa applicants in the US planning to visit the UK.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Members: Correspondence

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to respond to the correspondence of (a) 7 April and (b) 5 May 2022 from the hon. Member for Glasgow East, reference DL11296.

Kevin Foster: MPAM reference: MPAM/0301654/22 – The Home Office responded on 25 May 2022.

Members: Correspondence

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to respond to the correspondence of 22 February 2022 from the hon. Member for Glasgow East, reference DL11383.

Kevin Foster: MPAM reference: MPAM/0251612/22 – The Home Office responded on 25 May 2022.

Members: Correspondence

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to respond to the correspondence of 11 February 2022 from the hon. Member for Glasgow East, reference DL10748.

Kevin Foster: MPAM reference: MPAM/0246991/22 – The Home Office responded on 25 May 2022.

Members: Correspondence

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to respond to the correspondence of 23 March 2022 from the hon. Member for Glasgow East, reference DL11393.

Kevin Foster: MPAM reference: MPAM/0271928/22 – I will respond shortly.

Members: Correspondence

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to respond to the correspondence of (a) 9 February and (b) 17 March 2022 from the hon. Member for Glasgow East, reference DL11291.

Kevin Foster: MPAM reference: MPAM/0264261/22 – The Home Office responded on 25 May 2022.

Members: Correspondence

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to respond to the correspondence of 30 March 2022 from the hon. Member for Glasgow East, reference DL8349.

Kevin Foster: MPAM reference: MPAM/0288738/22 – The Home Office will respond shortly.

Safer Streets Fund

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much her Department has spent on (a) communications, (b) advertising and (c) marketing for the Safer Streets Fund.

Tom Pursglove: The Safer Streets Fund is promoted through meetings and correspondence with the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, the National Police Chiefs’ Council, the Local Government Association, the Welsh Government and civil society organisations.The criteria for the Fund is published on Gov.uk, as are announcements setting out which areas have been successful in receiving funding. No specific, central Government funds are spent on marketing or advertising, though many local projects who are awarded funding undertake engagement and communications activity to promote their crime prevention activities.

Catalytic Converters: Theft

Elliot Colburn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to reduce catalytic converter thefts in (a) Carshalton and Wallington, (b) London and (c) the rest of the UK.

Elliot Colburn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to reduce (a) theft of a vehicle, (b) theft from a vehicle, (c) trespass on public or private land with a vehicle, (d) alteration of a vehicle with the intent to cause anti-social behaviour and (e) other crimes and anti-social behaviours involving vehicles.

Tom Pursglove: The Government is working closely with police and motor manufacturers through the National Vehicle Crime Working Group, chaired by the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for vehicle crime, to tackle theft of, and from, vehicles, including catalytic converters. The Metropolitan Police Service is represented on the Working Group, and a network of vehicle crime specialists from every force in England and Wales shares information about emerging trends and how to tackle regional issues.The Home Office funded the set-up of the National Infrastructure Crime Reduction Partnership, which is ensuring the national co-ordination of policing and law enforcement partners to tackle metal and other theft. The partnership shares intelligence to target offenders, and implements crime prevention measures. The British Transport Police, through the NICRP, has conducted three national weeks of actions resulting in 92 arrests, over 2,000 site visits, over 1,000 stolen catalytic converters recovered, and the catalytic converters of over 3,000 vehicles forensically marked. This has helped to promote awareness, with over 1,000 officers trained in enforcement powers to deal with scrap metal dealers, and has seen a significant reduction in catalytic converter thefts. The Metropolitan Police Service have also co-ordinated their own operations to tackle these thefts.The Government is working with partner agencies to ensure effective use of powers in the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, to tackle all forms of anti-social behaviour including involving vehicles. The statutory guidance was updated last year to ensure a victim-centered approach to tackling ASB. ASB is one of the primary crime and issue types being targeted in the fourth round of the Safer Streets Fund.

Police: Protest

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the financial impact on police forces of lock-on protests.

Tom Pursglove: Lock-ons can take a long time to remove, drawing police resources away from local communities. Millions of pounds of taxpayers' money is spent policing protests where this tactic is used. The lock-on offence and the associated stop and search power will allow the police to pro-actively tackle protesters who plan to lock-on.The Public Order Bill's Impact Assessment can be found here: Impact Assessment - Public Order Bill - 17May22.PDF (parliament.uk)

Asylum: Deportation

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many failed asylum seekers have been deported from the UK since 2020.

Tom Pursglove: The Home Office publishes statistics on the number of returns from the UK in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on asylum-related returns are published in table Ret_05 of the ‘Returns Summary Tables’ with the latest data up to the end of December 2021.Asylum-related returns relate to cases where there has been an asylum claim at some stage prior to the return. This will include asylum seekers whose asylum claims have been refused and who have exhausted any rights of appeal, those returned under third-country provisions, as well as those granted asylum/protection but removed for other reasons (such as criminality).The term ‘deportations’ refers to a legally-defined subset of returns, which are enforced either following a criminal conviction, or when it is judged that a person’s removal from the UK is conducive to the public good. The published statistics refer to enforced returns which include deportations, as well as cases where a person has breached UK immigration laws, and those removed under other administrative and illegal entry powers that have declined to leave voluntarily. Figures on deportations, which are a subset of enforced returns, are not separately available.

Undocumented Migrants: Rwanda

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether there is a cap on the number of illegal immigrants who can be transferred to Rwanda under the Migration and Economic Development Partnership with that country.

Tom Pursglove: The Migration and Economic Development Partnership between the UK and Rwanda is uncapped and is expected to last for at least five years.

British Nationality: Ilois

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason it is her policy that the new route for Chagossians to acquire British Nationality will be time-limited to five years from the commencement date of the Nationality and Borders Act 2022.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending the new route to British Citizenship for Chagossians to those who are born outside of the British Indian Ocean Territory.

Kevin Foster: All direct descendants of people who were citizens of the UK and Colonies by virtue of their birth in the British Indian Ocean Territory are already eligible to apply under the measure, and regardless of where those descendants were born.Our legislative provision is a generous one. We recognise the special circumstances of this group, so will create a registration route which breaks the traditional nationality model whereby citizenship is normally only passed on for one generation overseas. It is therefore not an open-ended offer, but those interested will have plenty of time to apply, and children will have until they are 23 years old to do so. The route is free, and no-one who is eligible and wants to apply should miss out.We will publish further details of the support we will offer to those applying as soon as it is available.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Stuart C McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help ensure that resettled Afghans are informed about life in the area of the UK in which they are offered accommodation.

Stuart C McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of housing resettled Afghans in urban areas; and whether priority is given to finding accommodation in urban areas.

Kevin Foster: We have been working to support Afghan families into homes of their own, so they can settle into their local communities, feel safe and independent and rebuild their lives in the UK.We provide 7 days’ notice of their move to long-term accommodation. During this time, they can prepare for their move and discuss any concerns with their Home Office Liaison Officer. We will also put them in contact with the relevant Local Authority to discuss the area they are moving to and what the local amenities are including schools, local services and details of the local community to help them integrate as quickly as possible.We work closely with Local Authorities and we strive to allocate the right families into the right accommodation to ensure integration into their new area is as smooth as possible. To achieve this, we triage and prioritise families to ensure the settled accommodation provides the best possible match, taking into consideration date of arrival into the UK, family size, vulnerability and integration factors.This also includes finding accommodation within or near to, major conurbations wherever possible so appropriate support and access to services can be more readily provided. Yet this must be balanced with the need to avoid lengthy periods being accommodated in hotels when good offers of accommodation are being made from other areas which are ready to welcome Afghan families.

Homes for Ukraine Scheme

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's MP hotline and subsequent selection of option 2 relating to the Homes for Ukraine scheme, what the average call wait time was until calls are answered in the latest period for which data is available.

Kevin Foster: We recognise during peak periods waiting times can be considerably longer due to an increase in call demand.MPs can also raise urgent and compassionate cases with the MP engagement team via the MPs Urgent Enquiries inbox or in person at the Portcullis House walk-in hub.

Passports: Applications

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with HM Passport Office on tackling administrative delays that are lengthening the time taken to process passport applications and passport renewal applications.

Kevin Foster: Ahead of unrestricted international travel returning, HM Passport Office prepared extensively to serve an unprecedented number of customers, with 9.5 million British passport applications forecasted throughout 2022.These preparations, which include the recruitment of 650 additional staff since April 2021 and with plans in place to recruit a further 550 by this summer, have ensured passport applications can be processed in higher numbers than ever before. This was demonstrated in March and April 2022 when HM Passport Office achieved record outputs by completing the processing of two million applications.Ministers continue to meet regularly with officials to monitor performance, and to explore further options that will help to ensure people receive their passports in good time.

Passports: Applications

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps she has taken to reduce the time taken to process passport applications and passport renewal applications.

Kevin Foster: Since April 2021, people have been advised to allow up to ten weeks when applying for their British passport as more than 5 million people delayed applying due to the pandemic. The vast majority of all passport applications continue to be dealt with well within this service standard.HM Passport Office has increased its staffing numbers by 650 since April 2021 and is in the process of recruiting a further 550. This has helped to ensure passport applications continue to be processed in higher numbers than ever before. Across March and April 2022, HM Passport Office completed the processing of two million applications.

UK Visas and Immigration: Telephone Services

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to reduce the average waiting time on the MP UK Visas and Immigration helpline.

Kevin Foster: We have seen a significant increase in call volumes to the MP enquiry line in recent weeks linked to the situation in Ukraine and passport applications.We have increased staffing across the MP enquiry line, but more specifically on the HMPO and Ukraine options. We expect to have up to 25 dedicated HMPO and up to 20 dedicated Ukraine call handlers available to take urgent and compassionate case referrals in the next week.MP’s also can contact the Home Office via the MP’s Urgent Enquiries inbox or in person at the Portcullis House walk-in hub.

Homes for Ukraine Scheme: Lewisham

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have arrived (a) in Lewisham East constituency and (b) within the Lewisham Council area through the Ukraine Family Scheme since that scheme began.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office is committing to processing applications as quickly possible, both those submitted overseas and in the UK.To support this, we are working at pace with our UK commercial partner, Sopra Steria, and local partners/devolved regions, to expand capacity to meet the demand for biometric enrolment appointments from those applying under the Ukrainian schemes from within the UK. We have also ensured sufficient casework capacity is deployed, including staff being loaned from other government departments.

Deportation

Stuart C McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has a record of the number of parents separated from their children as a result of deportations by her Department.

Stuart C McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many appeals against deportation lodged in 2021 were allowed (a) on family life grounds and (b) on the basis that deportation would have an unduly harsh impact on a qualifying child.

Kevin Foster: The information requested above is not available in a reportable format and would require a manual check of individual records which could only be done at disproportionate cost.The Home Office published a one-off release on 22 February 2022, Statistical note: FNO appeals lodged and allowed on human rights grounds, 2008 to 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). The Ministry of Justice also publish data regarding all appeals lodged with the First-tier Tribunal Immigration and Asylum Chamber (FTTIAC) in the following statistical quarterly release:Tribunal Statistics Quarterly: October to December 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)Section 32 of the UK Borders Act 2007 provides a statutory duty to deport a foreign national if they have been convicted of an offence in the UK and sentenced to a period of imprisonment of at least 12 months. This is subject to several exceptions, including where to do so would be a breach of a person’s ECHR rights or the UK’s obligations under the Refugee Convention.Those deported are provided with the opportunity to raise claims prior to their removal being enforced. Where an Article 8 human rights claim is advanced by a foreign national offender, careful consideration is given to their claimed family and/or private life, in accordance with the Immigration Rules. All claims raised are fully considered on the individual merits of the case and decided before deportation. The UK only ever returns those who the Home Office and, where applicable, the courts are satisfied do not have a legal basis to remain in the UK.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the (a) administration of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme and (b) routes by which people are able to access the scheme.

Kevin Foster: The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) commenced on 6 January 2022, providing up to 20,000 women, children and others at risk with a safe and legal route to resettle in the UK.Eligible individuals can be referred onto the Scheme in one of three ways, as set out in the policy statement on eligibility for the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme of 13 September 2021. We are working at pace to prepare to receive the first referrals under Pathways 2 and 3, so individuals affected by events in Afghanistan can safely arrive in the UK and rebuild their lives.It is therefore too early to make assessments on the impact of the Scheme.

Homes for Ukraine Scheme: Children

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether applications under the Homes for Ukraine scheme can be accepted where the applicant is a minor travelling with a family member who is not a parent.

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what legal documentation is required under the Homes for Ukraine scheme for a minor travelling without a parent but with an adult family member, such as an aunt or grandparent.

Kevin Foster: Applicants for the Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme must be Ukrainian, or the immediate family member of a Ukrainian national, and either:18 or older on the date of application orunder 18 years old and applying with your parent or legal guardian, or to join them in the UKPlease see: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Buildings: Fire Prevention

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he plans to take steps to ensure that building developers, which have not signed the building safety repairs pledge, rectify fire safety defects in buildings they have developed.

Stuart Andrew: The Secretary of State has made it clear that developers must take responsibility for buildings with which they are associated. As of 23 May, 45 of the largest developers have signed a pledge to undertake all necessary life-critical fire safety work on 11m+ buildings they had a role in developing or refurbishing over the past thirty years.  Those pledges are being converted into legally binding contractual commitments, and the Department intends to establish a statutory Responsible Actors Scheme to make sure that industry actors are doing the right thing. The Department is now reaching out to further industry actors who were not involved in initial negotiations, and inviting them to make similarly binding commitments.We have made clear that we will not hesitate to use our recovery unit and new powers in the Building Safety Act to go after companies and executives who fail to do the right thing.We have also committed to using a building safety levy on the industry to raise a further £3 billion to pay for remediating cladding on 11m+ buildings where a developer cannot be identified or held responsible.

Planning Authorities

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the (a) leadership, (b) capacity or (c) capability of planning departments in local authorities.

Stuart Andrew: I recognise the challenges that local planning authorities are facing. Our aim is to ensure that local authority planning departments have the capacity and skills to make better places, deliver levelling up and provide an efficient service.   We are engaging with representatives from across local government, the private sector, and professional bodies to design and deliver a skills strategy.

Council Housing: Standards

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make it his policy to regularly inspect the (a) policies and (b) practices of local authority housing departments to ensure that they are in line with Government policy.

Stuart Andrew: We have provided local authorities with strong enforcement powers to tackle poor property standards in the private rented sector, and we would expect them to use and reflect these powers in their policies and practices. Local authorities have a legal duty to take enforcement action if they find seriously hazardous conditions.My officials work closely with the Local Government Association and individual authorities to address any queries or concerns and ensure that local authorities are using the full range of enforcement tools which have been provided through legislation.As social housing landlords, local authorities are also subject to the Regulator of Social Housing’s consumer standards. As announced in the Queen’s Speech, we will be introducing the Social Housing Regulation Bill in the Third Session, which will enable proactive consumer regulation, regular inspections of the largest social housing landlords, and stronger enforcement powers when things go wrong. Landlords, including local authorities, will face more scrutiny, with the Regulator proactively assuring themselves that they are meeting the standards. The Regulator will also be given strong enforcement powers to use where local authorities do not meet the standards.

Travellers: Sutton

Elliot Colburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he has held discussions with representatives of the London Borough of Sutton on its Gypsy and Traveller site plan due to be submitted in 2022.

Stuart Andrew: The Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has not held discussions with representatives of the London Borough of Sutton on its Gypsy and Traveller site plan. Due to his quasi-judicial role in the planning system he is unable to comment on specific development plans or their content.

Green Belt: Planning Permission

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make it his policy to urgently introduce statutory protections to protect green belt and greenfield sites from speculative developments before wider planning reforms are introduced in the Levelling Up Bill.

Stuart Andrew: The increased weight given to plans and national policy in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill will give more assurance that areas of environmental importance - such as National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and areas at high risk of flooding - will be respected in decisions on planning applications and appeals. The same is true of the Green Belt, which will continue to be safeguarded.   The National Planning Policy Framework already sets out strong protections for Green Belt land, and also expects local authorities to recognise and enhance the importance of biodiversity, valued landscapes and agricultural soils, and the character and beauty of the countryside. Local authorities should give priority to re-use of suitable brownfield land wherever practicable and sustainable.   These protections in national planning policy are to remain firmly in place, and by 2023 will be further reinforced by the biodiversity net gain requirements introduced through the Environment Act 2021. We will pursue options to make the Green Belt even greener.

Affordable Housing: Key Workers

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if his Department will take steps to build affordable homes to ensure that keyworkers are able to afford homes in their communities.

Stuart Andrew: This Government is determined to make home ownership a reality for hard-working people who are currently priced out of their local area. First Homes are homes which are sold to first-time buyers with a discount of at least 30% from full market value.Crucially, the discount will be passed on to all future purchasers in perpetuity, so these homes will keep helping first-time buyers onto the property ladder for generations to come. Beyond the national criteria, local authorities will be able to set local connection and/or key worker criteria for First Homes in their area, based on the needs of their local community.Alongside support for key workers purchasing First Homes, we are committed to increasing the overall supply of affordable homes. Our £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme will deliver up to 180,000 affordable homes, should economic conditions allow. Approximately half of the homes delivered will be for affordable home ownership, supporting aspiring homeowners to take their first step on to the housing ladder.The Government is committed to increase first-time buyer numbers in all regions, and will do so by looking at all of the factors that influence ownership levels, including housing supply and the availability of low deposit mortgages. We will also explore further options to limit the competition first-time buyers face. This means looking at all of the options available to government to limit the factors which are pricing out local people, seeking to learn from international comparators. In addition to First Homes, this Government runs a range of schemes to help people into home ownership such as the mortgage guarantee scheme, Help to Buy: Equity Loan, Shared Ownership and Lifetime ISA.

Buildings: Insulation

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department is taking steps to help ensure that property developers are not able to avoid responsibility for cladding and other remedial costs by (a) liquidating, (b) declaring bankruptcy and (c) repurchasing the freehold under a new company.

Stuart Andrew: The Building Safety Act 2022 provides that where a building's freeholder is - or is linked - to the original developer, they must meet costs associated with historical building safety defects in full and cannot pass on these costs to leaseholders.The Act refers to the position as at 14 February 2022, so any future buyer of the freehold will assume the same liabilities of the previous freeholder. As such, freeholders will not be able to simply sell off their buildings or transfer them to new companies to evade liability.Should the freeholder declare insolvency, the Act contains provision allowing the appointed insolvency practitioner to apply to the court to require companies associated with the freeholder, such as the parent company, to meet the costs of remediation.The Act also grants powers to the High Court and the First-tier Tribunal allowing them to extend specific liabilities for one company to associated companies, preventing developers and freeholders from evading their responsibilities by using complex corporate structures such as special purpose vehicles.The Government has agreed with 45 residential property developers that they will fix life-critical fire safety defects, including cladding, in all buildings above 11 metres that they had a role in developing or refurbishing in the past 30 years. In these circumstances, the ownership of the particular property will be irrelevant, as the liability to remediate is with the developer group, even if the particular subsidiary that did the development becomes insolvent.

Planning: Renewable Energy

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of taking steps through local planning to ensure that land approved to generate sustainable energy is used to power new build developments including (a) garden villages and (b) towns.

Stuart Andrew: The Government has made steps to ensure land approved to generate sustainable energy is used to power new build developments. National planning policy is clear that strategic policies in Local Plans should make sufficient provision for energy infrastructure (including heat). In particular, the planning system should support renewable and low carbon energy and associated infrastructure and plans should provide a positive strategy for energy from these sources, and identify opportunities for development to draw its energy supply from decentralised, renewable or low carbon energy systems.The Government's recent 'British Energy Security Strategy' sets out a series of changes to the planning system to support the delivery of renewable energy infrastructure. This included a commitment to cut the time it takes for offshore wind projects to get planning and regulatory consents. For onshore wind, we will consult this year on developing local partnerships for supportive communities who wish to host new onshore wind infrastructure in return for benefits, including lower energy bills. We will also consult on amending planning rules to strengthen policy in favour of solar development, while ensuring communities continue to have a say and environmental protections remain in place. As part of this we will gather evidence on the use and suitability of the existing permitted development rights which allow for the installation of solar equipment.

Help to Buy Scheme: Solihull

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if his Department will publish the data it holds on the number of households in the Solihull constituency that have benefited from his Department's Help to Buy scheme.

Stuart Andrew: Between 1 April 2013 and 31 December 2021 1,112 homes were purchased in Solihull using the Help to Buy Equity Loan Scheme.Further data on the number of households in England which have benefitted from the Help to Buy Equity Loan scheme (including households in the Solihull constituency) can be found in the latest HtB Equity Loan scheme statistics: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/help-to-buy-equity-loan-scheme-data-to-31-december-2021/help-to-buy-equity-loan-scheme-data-to-31-december-2021

Housing: Construction

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure the timely delivery of house building programmes by local authorities in areas that have high housing costs as a result of insufficient supply.

Stuart Andrew: A range of factors influence housing costs, but the supply of housing remains an important one, especially in areas of high demand. We have provided a range of tools that support councils to address the housing needs in their areas, including delivering their own housing programmes. This includes our £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme, £4 billion of which has been allocated to the Greater London Authority to bring forward homes in London, and more freedom in how councils can spend the money they receive from Right to Buy sales. On top of the abolition of the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) borrowing cap in 2018, allowing councils greater flexibility in their borrowing to build more homes.Furthermore the £1.8 billion Brownfield, Infrastructure and Land fund package announced in 2021 to regenerate underused land and level up the country will support local authorities (and Mayoral Combined Authorities) to bring brownfield land into use; and, building on the success of the first round of Land Release Fund where £45 million was allocated to 73 local authorities - releasing land for more than 6,500 homes - we launched a further £20 million worth of investment unlocking 2,600 additional homes.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment his Department has made of the compatibility of the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill with Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Conor Burns: This legislation, which had its Second Reading on 24 May, deals with legacy issues in a way that complies with international human rights obligations, supports information recovery and reconciliation, and responds to the needs of individual victims and survivors, as well as society as a whole.The legislation does not prohibit investigations into those Troubles-related incidents which might engage the UK’s obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights. We will establish the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery to conduct investigations into Troubles-related deaths and cases of very serious injury, for the purposes of information recovery.We have included various measures to ensure the body is equipped with the necessary powers to secure information and conduct thorough, Article 2 compliant investigations.We are confident that these measures fulfil our Article 2 obligations.

Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions his Department had with relevant (a) individuals and (b) organisations on the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill prior to its publication.

Conor Burns: Since January, the Northern Ireland Office has held legacy discussions with a wide range of stakeholders, including but not limited to; the Irish Government, representatives of victims and survivors (including WAVE, South East Fermanagh Foundation, the Victims Commissioner, the Victims & Survivors Forum, Ulster Human Rights Watch, Ely Centre), representatives of veterans and former service personnel (including the NI Veterans Commissioner, the Independent Veterans Advisor, the NI Retired Police Officers Association, the Police Federation of NI, COBSEO, the NI Veterans Movement), operational partners and other relevant groups (including PPS NI, PSNI, Operation Kenova, OPONI, NI Human Rights Commission), and other civil and community organisations (including Healing Through Remembering, Corrymeela, Malone House Group, JIGSA, church representatives, the Truth Recovery Process Group).The Government has also offered to engage with other groups, who have preferred not to engage with us on this issue.

Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he had discussions with the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission prior to the publication of the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill.

Conor Burns: The Northern Ireland Office held discussions on legacy with the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission on 14 April 2022. Discussions with the Commission, and other key stakeholders, will continue during passage of the Bill.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Internet: Bullying

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government is taking to address allegations of cyber bullying in the UK.

Chris Philp: The Government is committed to addressing cyberbullying and online abuse in the UK and the Online Safety Bill will deliver strong protections for UK users online. This Bill was introduced to Parliament on 17 March 2022, and has now passed second reading.The Bill will require all companies in scope to tackle illegal abuse on their services, by making sure it is taken down quickly and by using tools to minimise the risk of similar material appearing. Services which are likely to be accessed by children will also need to protect them from legal but harmful content and activity, such as cyberbullying. Companies will have to ensure that reporting mechanisms are easily accessible, and parents and children should expect to see platforms responding quickly and effectively to reports of cyberbullying. The Bill will also require the largest and highest risk services to set out in terms and conditions their approach to addressing harmful content for adults, such as online abuse which does not meet a criminal threshold. Ofcom will be able to take enforcement action, including large fines, against companies that fail to comply.